Rai Thistlethwayte
Encyclopedia
Rai Thistlethwayte is an Australia
n rock and jazz musician and songwriter
. Rai is an accomplished pianist, guitarist, and vocalist. He is most widely known as the lead singer and primary songwriter in the Australian rock pop band Thirsty Merc
. Since 2004, Thirsty Merc have released a string of hits in the Australian Music Charts including "Wasting Time," "My Completeness", "Someday, Someday", "In The Summertime", "When The Weather Is Fine", "20 Good Reasons", "The Hard Way", "Those Eyes", "Homesick", "Mousetrap Heart", and "All My Life".
where he commenced a Bachelor of Music in jazz piano in 1998.
Some of his early musical influences are listed as The Beach Boys, Buddy Holly, Deep Purple, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Iron Maiden, Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, Prince, Frank Sinatra, Joni Mitchell, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Oscar Peterson, Claude Debussy.
After a year at the Sydney Conservatorium, Rai came to the attention of, and signed with Columbia/Sony in the USA. This particular label relationship appeared not to have flourished and ended amicably.
. Thirsty Merc subsequently released two successful albums, their self-titled debut Thirsty Merc
, which sold 2 x platinum in Australia and received 4 ARIA Award nominations, and most recently Slideshows that has reached Platinum status. Rai and the band’s live performances are known for their high energy and strong musicianship. Thirsty Merc have just released their third studio album Mousetrap Heart with the title track as the first single.
, Tenor Saxophonist Dale Barlow
and Phil Stack
who also plays bass in Thirsty Merc. In 2008, Rai performed a concert with respected Australian jazz/pianist/composer Mark Isaacs at the Brisbane Jazz festival. Mark is on record as saying,“It's a well-kept secret that Rai is an outstanding jazz pianist… I consider Rai the most exciting young jazz pianist to emerge in this country in recent years.” Rai also writes spoken word prose and poetry, sometimes performing and recording under the name 'Michael Albatross.'
APRA Awards
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n rock and jazz musician and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
. Rai is an accomplished pianist, guitarist, and vocalist. He is most widely known as the lead singer and primary songwriter in the Australian rock pop band Thirsty Merc
Thirsty Merc
Thirsty Merc are an Australian pop rock band formed in 2002 in Sydney, Australia. The band consists of Rai Thistlethwayte , Phil Stack , Karl Robertson , and Matt Smith ....
. Since 2004, Thirsty Merc have released a string of hits in the Australian Music Charts including "Wasting Time," "My Completeness", "Someday, Someday", "In The Summertime", "When The Weather Is Fine", "20 Good Reasons", "The Hard Way", "Those Eyes", "Homesick", "Mousetrap Heart", and "All My Life".
Early years
Rai grew up in Sydney, Australia, in a musical family. He started learning from his mother, a classical piano teacher, before his fifth birthday. His father, Ian, is a language teacher and a bass player and guitarist who played bass in a Sydney based band called 'The Plebs', which formed under the name 'The Centaurs' in Sydney in 1963.Early music career and influences
In his early teens, Rai listened to classic rock and early metal, then blues and jazz. He started writing songs around the age of 15. After finishing high school in 1997 he was awarded a scholarship to the Sydney Conservatorium of MusicSydney Conservatorium of Music
The Sydney Conservatorium of Music is one of the oldest and most prestigious music schools in Australia...
where he commenced a Bachelor of Music in jazz piano in 1998.
Some of his early musical influences are listed as The Beach Boys, Buddy Holly, Deep Purple, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Iron Maiden, Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, Prince, Frank Sinatra, Joni Mitchell, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Oscar Peterson, Claude Debussy.
After a year at the Sydney Conservatorium, Rai came to the attention of, and signed with Columbia/Sony in the USA. This particular label relationship appeared not to have flourished and ended amicably.
Thirsty Merc: 2003-present
In 2002 Rai formed Australian rock group Thirsty Merc and was subsequently signed by Warner Music Australia after their self funded release of their EP First WorkFirst Work
First Work is the debut EP release by Australia rock band Thirsty Merc released in 2003. It features early versions of songs that the band re-recorded for their studio album Thirsty Merc.-Track listing:All songs written by Rai Thistlethwayte....
. Thirsty Merc subsequently released two successful albums, their self-titled debut Thirsty Merc
Thirsty Merc
Thirsty Merc are an Australian pop rock band formed in 2002 in Sydney, Australia. The band consists of Rai Thistlethwayte , Phil Stack , Karl Robertson , and Matt Smith ....
, which sold 2 x platinum in Australia and received 4 ARIA Award nominations, and most recently Slideshows that has reached Platinum status. Rai and the band’s live performances are known for their high energy and strong musicianship. Thirsty Merc have just released their third studio album Mousetrap Heart with the title track as the first single.
Jazz
As well as his work in rock and pop, Rai has performed in a number of jazz combos with many Australian jazz musicians, including ARIA award winning guitarist James Muller, U.S. jazz bassist Christian McBrideChristian McBride
Christian McBride is an American jazz bassist. His father, Lee Smith, and his great uncle, Howard Cooper, are well known Philadelphia bassists who served as McBride's early mentors...
, Tenor Saxophonist Dale Barlow
Dale Barlow
Dale Barlow is an Australian jazz composer, multi-instrumentalist: especially tenor, alto saxophone, soprano saxophonist, baritone saxophone and flute....
and Phil Stack
Phil Stack
Phil Stack is the bassist and one of the founding members of the Australian band, Thirsty Merc. Born in 1977, Stack grew up with his three older sisters in the New South Wales city of Dubbo. Stack is an accomplished jazz and rock musician within Australia. He is also a regular performer, playing...
who also plays bass in Thirsty Merc. In 2008, Rai performed a concert with respected Australian jazz/pianist/composer Mark Isaacs at the Brisbane Jazz festival. Mark is on record as saying,“It's a well-kept secret that Rai is an outstanding jazz pianist… I consider Rai the most exciting young jazz pianist to emerge in this country in recent years.” Rai also writes spoken word prose and poetry, sometimes performing and recording under the name 'Michael Albatross.'
Awards and nominations
ARIA Awards (2005) nominations:- Single Of The year (Someday, Someday)
- Best Group
- Best Pop Release
- Best Video (In The Summertime, directed by Adrian Van De Velde
APRA Awards
APRA Awards
The APRA Music Awards are several award ceremonies run in Australia and New Zealand by Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually....
- Song Of The Year ('20 Good Reasons' – nomination, 2008)
- Most Performed Work (Someday Someday - nomination, 2005)